Khartoum, Sudan, Jul 11, 2011 / 15:34 pm
African clergy say the Republic of South Sudan, which gained independence on July 9, must take steps to resolve an increasingly violent conflict in the troubled border region of South Kordofan.
“If the Government of South Sudan does not sit down to address the issues raised by the militia groups, it could become a nightmare with no stability for the South,” said Bishop Daniel Adwok of Khartoum in a recent interview with the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.
According to the United Nations, violence between northern Sudan's armed forces, and South Sudan's former allies in the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, has displaced more than 75,000 people since the groups began fighting in early June.
Earlier this month, Sudan's northern armed forces made the provocative gesture of strategically positioning four vehicles that appear to be outfitted with multiple-rocket launcher systems. The army says the deployment is normal and that the north is not assembling troops, according to the Sudan Tribune.